


Redirecting Fate

by shimmeringcrimson



Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Blood, Family, Gen, Humor, Original Character Death(s), Panic Attacks, Violence, also posted on fanfiction.net, conflicted feelings, minor alcohol use
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-22
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-04-10 15:02:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 17,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4396442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shimmeringcrimson/pseuds/shimmeringcrimson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Ah, I guess you could say I'm your older brother. Nice to meet you. From now on, please call me 'Amai-nii.'" Rin meets his first demon when he is seven years old.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meeting

"Now, Rin-chan, this is the second fight you've gotten into this week! I've already called your father and he is very disappointed in you," Amano-sensei reprimanded the seven-year-old boy. "I know that Rikio-chan and Chiyo-chan were bullying your brother, but when that happens, you need to come tell me instead of hurting them. Do you understand, Rin?"

Rin stared down at his feet, nodding his acceptance. He knew he wasn't supposed to get into fights, but he couldn't help it! The others were being mean to Yukio, so why couldn't he be mean back? He really didn't mean to really hurt them, he just got angry.

The teacher's eyes softened as she looked at the guilty boy. "That's all I wanted to talk to you about, Rin-chan, so you can go home now. Think about what I've said, okay?"

"Okay," Rin said glumly. As he exited the classroom, his guilt deepened as he remembered that Yukio had to go home by himself since Rin had to stay behind so Amano-sensei could talk to him. Rin also didn't like it when he had to walk alone home either; sometimes, he felt as if he was being watched, especially when he was alone.

He idly kicked at a stone, watching as it bounced down the road in front of him. He continued kicking it as he walked, more concentrated on the rock than on where he was going.

"Oof!" Rin winced as he bumped into someone, falling on his bottom due to the collision.

"Look where you're going, kid!" a swaying man spat, glaring at him.

"I'm sorr-" Rin started, only to be interrupted when the man hauled him up by the collar of his shirt.

"Look, you've gotten my shirt dirty!" the man said angrily. Rin looked, but as far as he could tell, the shirt looked as clean as it had been when he ran into him. "You-you rotten brat," he started to slur, ignoring the surprised yelp that came out of the boy as he dragged the child to the entrance of an alley. Rin glanced around in a panic, looking for someone that might help him - but the more he looked, the more he realized that he had never seen this street before. The people looked mean and dirty, and no one seemed to care as the drunken adult slammed him into a wall.

Rin cried out in pain as his shoulder hit the brick wall. "Shut up! I'm-I'm gonna teach you a, a lesson," the man growled, flipping out a pocket knife. Rin flinched in fear. He'd seen what knives could do to people on those criminal TV shows and he really didn't want to end up as another example.

The man lurched forward, knife barely missing Rin's neck due to Rin's struggling. "Stop it!" the boy cried out. "Stop!"

"Didn't I tell you to shut the fuck up?!" he snarled, arm raised.

"Huh? You're not supposed to say those kinds of words around children, right?"

The man froze as the monotone voice reached him. As the man turned, Rin was able to see the owner of the voice.

He was dressed oddly, like in a punk-emo kind of way, with green hair that spiked up. Rin had probably never been so grateful to see a weirdo in his life.

"Who the hell are you?!"

The teenager blinked, rolling the lollipop in his mouth so that it was positioned on the side. "Me? Oh, sorry," he said, crunching the lollipop. "I'm Amaimon. It's a pleasure to meet you."

By now the man had almost completely forgotten about the boy he was still holding up by his shoulders. Rin remained still, hoping if he was quiet enough the man would eventually loosen the grip he had on him.

"Huh?! What's with that weird attitude?!" The now-named Amaimon stared as the other continued ranting. "You're super weird! Your hair looks stupid and you look like a piece of shit!"

Amaimon's eyes narrowed as the drunk listed off a bunch of his flaws, and for the first time Rin felt true, absolute fear.

Before he could blink, the man was on the ground, screaming and clutching at where his arm used to be. Now that the man wasn't lifting him, Rin fell to the ground. The boy stared in numb shock at the blood on his clothes and hands.

"That wasn't very nice," Amaimon said, staring at the sobbing man in mild irritation. "Calling me names, and saying bad words in front of a child again...aren't you the worst kind of person?" He stepped on his leg, causing it to snap audibly. The drunk howled in pain. "So, I think I'll kill you. Would that be okay?" Without waiting for a reply, the green-haired teen leaned down and dragged a long nail across the man's throat.

Rin watched in stunned horror as the man choked on his own blood before he eventually stopped struggling. His eyes dulled as he took his last breath.

Rin was lightheaded and sick on his stomach. He couldn't take his eyes away from the body right in front of him, still bleeding out and soaking Rin's shoes and the hems of his jeans in red liquid.

"-ey," a voice said, and suddenly his view was taken up by his technical savior. "Don't ignore me. I don't like it."

He stared at the killer in shock. "W-why?" he managed to get out.

Amaimon stared at him as if he were the insane one. "Why?" he repeated, frowning. A lollipop wrapper crinkled as he took it off the sweet and stuck it in his mouth. "He was going to hurt you, right? So why shouldn't I hurt him back? He deserved it, didn't he?"

He looked genuinely curious as to why Rin didn't understand.

Why…? It was wrong, wasn't it…?

Rin couldn't help but to think like that. But, for some reason, he couldn't seem to be able to explain this in words, because on some level...Rin agreed. Some part of him thought the man had it coming, that it was an eye for an eye, and that was the part of him that scared Rin the most.

Uncomfortable with the topic, Rin tried to change it, ignoring the blood on him and the body next to him in fear that he would throw up.

"H-how come you helped me?" he asked instead, dodging the question. "W-who are you?"

Amaimon didn't seem to mind the avoidance, instead humming in thought. "I'm Amaimon, the Demon King of Earth." Rin froze. Demon…? That couldn't be right, they didn't exist, right? "Also, I've been watching you for a while, you know. After all, I once read in a human book that family takes care of family, but none of my other brothers were interested in something like that. So I decided I would come and find Rin Okumura, who is the youngest son of Satan."

Rin stared incomprehensibly at the blank gold eyes. Huh…?

"Ah, I guess you could say I'm your older brother. Nice to meet you." Amaimon tilted his head slightly. "From now on, please call me 'Amai-nii.'"

There was a pause as the two merely stared at each other, and then Rin opened his mouth, closed it, and then passed out.

Amaimon stared thoughtfully at his younger brother. "Was I too direct?" he wondered.


	2. Awakening

When Rin is welcomed back to consciousness, he is warm and drowsy. Then the events that had occurred earlier that day came rushing back to him.

He abruptly sat up with a gasp, startling a dozing Yukio who was next to his bed along with their father.

"Nii-san!" His twin exclaimed as soon as he realized that Rin was awake.

"Huh?" Rin snapped his head to look at Yukio before turning back to Father Fujimoto. "Yukio? Old man? What-what happened?"

Fujimoto and Yukio exchanged a quick look before Fujimoto slowly and hesitantly said, "Rin, Yukio found you unconscious and covered in blood in front of the gates." He shifted in order to move closer, resting a hand on Rin's blanket-covered knee and looking at him in concern. "Do you remember what happened, Rin?"

Rin stared at his father's hand and saw a man grabbing him, holding him up so it was hard to breathe, flashing a knife near his face, and then he saw the same man being torn apart in front of him, warm blood spraying onto Rin's clothes and arms-

Suddenly Rin felt nauseous. "Sick," was all he managed to say before he jerked his head to the side of the bed and let out the contents of his stomach.

He was barely aware of the concerned murmuring of his brother and the comforting hand of his father on his back. All he could see was blank eyes and an apathetic face and green spiky hair and warm, sticky red liquid and a severed arm and-

"It's okay, Rin, you're okay, take deep breaths," Father Fujimoto said softly, returning Rin back to the present. He dimly noticed that his chest felt tight and he couldn't seem to be able to get enough air. "Slow down," his father murmured gently, and then helped Rin focus on slowing his breathing and counting to ten and back to zero.

Dimly he saw Yukio standing awkwardly behind their father, unsure of what to do and how to help. The worry etched into his face was enough for Rin to slowly calm down, muscles relaxing and the ball of fear and anxiety in his chest unraveling so he could properly breathe again.

"Nii-san?" Yukio asked in concern.

"I'm okay," he answered the unheard question.

"Do you think you could tell us what happened?" Fujimoto asked gently. "It's okay if you can't, we can wait until you're ready."

Rin clenched the blanket tightly. "O-on my home," he started, keeping his eyes on his closed hands. "I got lost, a-and then I didn't know where I was. I accidentally bumped into this man…" Tears welled up in his eyes but he forced himself to continue. "He got really angry and he grabbed me and he had a knife and-" he broke off, gripping the blanket so hard it turned his knuckles white.

"You're okay, Rin, you're here now, nothing can get you," his father said softly. Rin nodded, taking a few deep breaths. Fujimoto waited a few moments before inquiring, "How did you get away?"

"There was a," lie, a voice in his head said. "a person there. They-they stabbed him and the man dropped me." He kept his eyes lowered.

"A person?" Father Fujimoto asked steadily. "What did they look like?"

"They-," lie, lie, LIE, the voice pounded into his head. "I-I don't remember, I didn't see them very well. A-after he dropped me, I ran before I could really see them." He suddenly felt very small. "I-I kept running and then I saw the church but then I don't remember anything."

Rin was suddenly pulled into a hug. "Thank you for telling me, Rin," his father said quietly. "You were very brave."

Rin clung to his father's shirt, feeling like a wimpy baby but unable to help himself. A wave of exhaustion crashed into him and he felt worn out and tired from the harsh feelings he had expressed earlier.

Once again, he fell back into darkness.

.f.a.t.e.

The next time Rin awakens, it is dark outside and the clock on his bedside stand tells him that it is a little past three in the morning.

Shifting, he discovered that Yukio had crawled into his bed and wrapped his skinny arms around his waist. Although Rin felt warm and comforted by his brother's presence, he really needed to pee. As gently as he could, he pried his twin's arms off and laid them on the bed.

He made his way to the bathroom across the hall as quietly as he can, noticing the kitchen light on but too busy with his own dilemma to care.

After relieving himself and quickly washing his hands, he flicked the bathroom light off and tip-toed his way back to bed.

Except, as he is passing the closed door to the kitchen, he hears, "Are you sure, Father?"

Rin paused, and after a moment's hesitation, stopped to listen.

"Yes," his father stressed. "Rin says a stranger helped him, and I believe him - he was too distraught to have been lying."

"But…" Rin managed to pinpoint the other voice as one of the newer clergymen at the church. From the other murmurs he could hear, there were other church staff in the room.

"Rin is my son," Fujimoto was saying firmly. Rin realized he must have missed what the other had said.

"He's the son of the devil!" a different voice snapped. Rin's breath catches. "Forgive me, Father, but Rin is a ticking time bomb! He constantly hurts the other children and when he's at home and he's angry I've seen blue flames! We've always managed to pass it off as an electricity problem, but how much longer will we have to do this?!"

Rin's vision blurred and something wet was trailing down his cheeks. He reached up and discovered that they are tears.

He remembered what Amaimon said - "son of Satan" - and he quietly returned to his bed, turning so his back was facing Yukio.

.f.a.t.e.

Shiro lets Rin stay home for the rest of the week out of concern for his mental health, and also because he was afraid that Rin would be more violent and unstable due to the occurrence that had happened yesterday. He watched as Rin waved to Yukio at the door and then went to the kitchen to make himself eggs.

He immediately felt that something was off, because usually when Rin made food, he would make it for everyone. It was one of the few things Rin took pride in, after all.

However, he simply brushed it off as Rin forgetting or being unused to making breakfast when Yukio wasn't there.

Unfortunately, the oddities didn't stop there.

Rin is a wild, loud child, who is always expressing what he thinks and has next to no filter on his mouth. He acts without thinking and resorts to violence most of the time. Rin is clingy and when he cares about something, he cares.

The Rin he is seeing now is quiet and contained. It is almost as if he is a ghost, the way he makes no noise and confines himself to his room. Once again, Shiro brushes it off as trauma and hopes with time Rin will bounce back to his normal happy self.

Later, when school should almost be over, one of the exorcists who Rin is fond of approached Rin. Last night, when some of the newer and more inexperienced exorcists were complaining about Rin, he and the rest of the exorcists stood up for the young boy, arguing that Rin wasn't even aware of who he was. Shiro had never been prouder of them.

But when Seiji reached Rin and stretched out his hand to ruffle Rin's hair in greeting, Rin flinched back before muttering an apology and practically bolting back to his room. Seiji is shocked because usually the kid adores him.

The anxiety doubles when Rin doesn't even lighten up when Yukio gets home. Rin prepared dinner for everyone and while they eat, the silence from Rin is suffocating. Yukio attempted to brighten the mood and ask how Rin was feeling, but although Rin quietly claimed he was feeling better, he barely ate and stared at his lap throughout the meal.

Yukio was clearly worried about his brother and glanced at him constantly, and Shiro noticed the determined look in his eyes and knew that he would be training twice as hard to become an exorcist and protect Rin. It hurt Shiro's heart sometimes to know that he was training one of his sons so young to become an exorcist, but Yukio was unshakable on the matter.

Shiro watched with growing worry as Rin excused himself from the table.

.f.a.t.e.

A few days later after the incident, Rin can feel Amaimon watching him. It's a constant, stressful thing. He doesn't know what Amaimon wants, but ever since he came into his life, everything has gone downhill.

He felt guilty for pushing Seiji away, but after what he had heard the other night - well, he didn't want to make someone pretend to like him.

He was constantly worried that if he made one wrong step even his father (not really your father) would stop caring, so he was trying to be more quiet and nice - even more so than Yukio was.

So when Yukio and the old man went out (like they do every day, isn't that strange?) and they're running low on milk, Rin volunteers to get it. Reluctantly, the priests allow it since the store is only around the corner.

As Rin exited the entrance the church, he felt the eyes on him focus and increase in their staring.

When he turned down the street, his view was suddenly filled up of an upside-down Amaimon, who was hanging quite casually from a tree.

"Yo," he intoned blandly, hand raised in a peace sign.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for your support!! B)  
> also filler chapter, sorry


	3. Healing

_When he turned down the street, his view was suddenly filled up of an upside-down Amaimon, who was hanging casually from a tree._

_“Yo,” he intoned blandly, hand raised in a peace sign._

Rin shrieked in surprise, stumbling backwards and landing on his bottom. “Y-y-you! What’re you doing here?!”

The green-haired teen stared solemnly at the younger boy. “You have been chosen as the next hero of Earth to fight off the invading aliens. I have come to escort you to your training.”

Rin stared at Amaimon with wide eyes. “Really?!”

“No,” Amaimon answered, his legs letting go of the branch and flipping so he landed in a squat, making him eye-level with Rin. “Are you stupid?”

Rin scowled, clenching the money in his fist. “No! Go away, I’m busy!”

Amaimon tilted his head. “Busy with what?”

Rin hesitated before answering anyway. “I’m going to the store to buy milk,” he replied shortly. He brushed off the dirt on his pants and walked past the other.

Only to stop when he found Amaimon trailing after him. “Are you deaf? Stop following me!” he said angrily, showing more emotion than he had in days.

“No,” Amaimon said simply. He shoved a purple colored sucker in his mouth.

Rin gaped for a moment, sputtering silently. “F-fine! Do whatever you want!” He turned sharply, an angry blush covering his face.

Amaimon hummed, a bounce in his step as he caught up to the dark-haired boy. “So are you feeling better?”

Rin almost bumped into a tree in surprise. “Huh?”

“Are you feeling better?” Amaimon repeated, blank eyes focused on him. “It seems that you have been unwell for the past week.”

“U-um…” Rin floundered. “Y-yeah. I’m better.”

“I see.” Amaimon didn’t say anything else as they entered the grocery store.

“L-let’s see,” Rin muttered, staring at the numbered aisles. “The milk is…”

Amaimon pointed. “It’s over there.” He gently grabbed Rin’s hand and pulled him in the direction he had pointed, leading them to a colder, refrigerated section.

“T-thanks,” Rin mumbled, mildly stunned by the killer’s attitude.

Rin picked out the bigger sized milk, struggling a bit due to the size. Amaimon watched him as he stumbled to the checkout, unable to see his feet since the milk was too big.

He placed it on the counter and handed the money to the cashier. She smiled at him as she asked if he wanted his ‘big brother’ to hold the bag.

Rin was about to say that they weren’t brother when he remembered how Amaimon had called him his younger brother. Instead, he muttered, “I can do it by myself!” and took the bag.

The cashier gave Amaimon an amused smile, as if they were sharing some sort of secret. Amaimon gave her a confused look before following the embarrassed Rin out of the store.

Rin shivered slightly as the wind picked up speed, clutching the plastic bag. It was already November and the temperature was showing itself.

Rin struggled with his grocery, stumbling on the uneven pavement. He tipped forward, bag slipping out of his grasp.

Then he was steadied by firm hands. Rin flushed, glancing up at the teen. “Thanks,” he mumbled. Then he noticed that he was no longer holding the bag.

“Hey, give it back!” he fumed, reaching for it.

“No,” Amaimon said, a small smile playing on his lips. “I think I shall hold on to this for a while.”

Rin glared at Amaimon (although Amaimon personally thought it looked more like a pout) and refused to speak to him for the rest of the journey back.

Amaimon didn’t seem to mind, more interested in watching the conflicted emotions flickering across Rin’s face.

By the time they reached the corner they had met, Rin’s anger had simmered down. He accidentally knocked into Amaimon’s back as the other abruptly stopped.

Amaimon’s eyes flashed over to Rin. “Then, this will be where we part.” He handed the bag to a stunned Rin, already walking the opposite way of the church.

“W-wait!” Rin called out.

Amaimon turned, head tilted in question. “Yes?”

Rin flustered. He had told him to wait out of surprise since Amaimon had dismissed himself so quickly, but there wasn’t any real reason Rin had called out to him.

“U-um…” he stumbled over his words, trying to think of a reason. “That day...did you really mean it when you said you were my brother?”

Amaimon paused, examining Rin. “Yes,” he answered.

“T-then how come you said I was the youngest son of-of,” Rin couldn’t say it. “ _him_. Yukio is the younger twin, s-so wouldn’t he be the youngest?” Rin had been thinking about it earlier, if he was a son of Satan, then that meant Yukio was one as well, right?

Amaimon bit his long nail thoughtfully. “It is true that Yukio Okumura is a son of Satan,” he acknowledged. “However, I did not sense even a drop of demonic power. Therefore, Yukio Okumura will not be seen as a true heir by any demon. He is one hundred percent human.”

Rin stared down at his feet. So Yukio was completely normal? On some level he was bitter, but a larger part of him was happy that he wouldn’t be ostracized for his birth father.

He froze as he registered the entire sentence. “W-wait, demonic power?” he questioned, eyebrows furrowed. “If Yukio doesn’t have it, then does that mean I do?”

Amaimon stared at him, still biting his nail. Then he offered a smile. “Goodbye, Rin Okumura,” he stated. “Let’s meet up soon and play lots of games.”

Rin blinked and he was gone.

The boy was left alone, holding a bag on the corner of the street.

.f.a.t.e.

Yukio jammed another round of bullets into his guns, quickly shooting at the targets with accuracy. While he still didn’t always get a bullseye every time, it was still an improvement from when he first started nearly a year ago.

His grip on the guns were a bit too tight and his stance was too stiff. He forced himself to relax, but he was still tight with anxiety.

The reason?

His older twin, Rin.

Yukio loved his brother. Rin was his protector, his security blanket, his family. Sure, Rin was a little rough around the edges, but in all actuality he was caring and loving.

Yukio...loved his brother.

Rin, who was secretly scared of lightning and thunder, but brushed it off despite him crawling into Yukio’s bed for comfort.

Rin, who was loud and violent, but always so careful when it came to Yukio.

Rin, who was at home, hurt and scared and distant and silent from an attack.

A bullet flew astray and hit the wall next to the target.

...It wasn’t any good. Yukio couldn’t concentrate.

A hand lowered Yukio’s raised gun. “That’s enough for today, Yukio,” his father said, giving him a knowing look. “Why don’t we go home now?”

Yukio quickly agreed. Although Yukio wanted to train some more, he was more eager to see his twin and get updated on his health.

That night, when Rin had been found unconscious and covered in blood, Yukio had been afraid that he had lost his brother. That the blood staining his clothes had been his. When it was realized that it wasn’t his, that his pulse was still strong, Yukio had been overwhelmed with relief. The possibility that Rin might have hurt someone hadn’t even mattered, as long as Rin was okay.

When Rin had woken up and had a panic attack, Yukio had wanted to kill whoever put his twin in such a state. And after Rin had explained what had happened, Yukio had been consumed by a burning hatred. But he cooled down for Rin. He made himself calm so he could comfort his brother. Rin was the only thing that mattered.

Yukio...wanted to protect his brother.

“Nii-san, we’re home,” his voice rang out as he entered their home. Rin was sitting at a table, staring at his hands in a daze. He snapped his head up at the sound of Yukio’s voice before relaxing.

“Yukio, old man,” he greeted, smiling at them.

Yukio and their father exchanged relieved looks; it seemed that Rin was finally starting to cheer up.

Yukio started chatting to Rin while their father slipped out of the room -- presumably to talk to the other exorcists and ask how Rin had been that day. If it was true that Rin was getting better, he could probably start going back to school soon.

Rin did seem to be responding more as they talked. It was little things, like the way his lips curled up more often and his eyes lit up with that spark, but those little things were enough to show that Rin was healing.

Yukio’s smile grew the longer he talked to his brother, glad that Rin’s spirits were finally lifting up.

Internally, Yukio’s resolve to protect his twin hardened.

After all, Yukio loves his brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i put that Rin was scared of thunder/lightning storms bc why not


	4. Recovering

A few days later saw Rin walking to school with Yukio. Other than the grocery trip, this was the first time he had been outside in over a week, and although he wasn't a big fan of school, he enjoyed getting some needed fresh air.

Speaking of the grocery trip, he had yet to see Amaimon lately. Amaimon had said he wanted to play with him again, so he would probably show up at some point, but that didn't stop him from worrying about Amaimon not coming back.

Rin's opinion of the strange teen had warped since the their first meeting. Somehow his presence was comforting and calming to Rin, no matter how messed up that seemed. He had become accustomed to Amaimon's constant watch as well. He felt almost...safe around him.

"Nii-san?" His brother's voice snapped him back to his surroundings. "Are you ready?"

They were standing in front of the school gates. Although Rin was officially cleared by his father to go out, he had been frequently reminded that he was free to call home to leave early if he wasn't feeling well. It had gotten to the point where Rin was a little annoyed by the worried looks. The worst of them was Yukio.

Rin was sure that he had never met anyone as overprotective as Yukio was. When he had noticed that Rin was uncomfortable with the priests, Yukio had practically glared at them despite being unaware of the reason Rin was wary. Not only that, he was always hovering around him, asking Rin if he needed anything or how he was feeling. He had gotten a papercut the other day ago and his twin had freaked out and insisted on tending to it as if it were some fatal wound. It irritated Rin a lot ( _he_  was the older brother here, damnit), but at the same time he couldn't help but appreciate Yukio's obvious care for him. If there was one person he could trust, it would be his younger twin.

Rin smiled at his brother. "Yup. Better now than never, right?"

Yukio visibly relaxed at his words, filling Rin with guilt for worrying him so much lately. He knew his behavior had been off and he was still trying to set it back on the path it had been on before.

Rin took a deep breath and entered the school building with his brother.

.f.a.t.e.

Amaimon watched his youngest brother through the circles his fingers made, observing the distant look on Rin's face. Nowadays it seemed as if the boy was always daydreaming, persistently lost in his thoughts. It had been over a month since his last meeting with Rin Okumura, preferring to let him heal from their first encounter.

Amaimon bit his nail almost guiltily. When he had found out that he had a younger brother, he had immediately set out to find out as much as possible about him. Discovering he was half-human was a shock, but when it eventually dawned on him that Rin had no clue of his true ancestry, the Earth King was filled with rage.

How  _dare_ that meddling exorcist keep something like that from the young demon?! Denying him the truth and hiding him away from his  _true_  family was absolutely  _disgusting_.

When his thoughts directed themselves back to Rin, he was almost sad. Rin would never know what it was like to race through the Dark Woods with other younglings, or to drink Ferida, a ceremonial demonic wine, or to see the white sun rise along with the fog during the mornings, creating a peaceful glow.

To be denied one's heritage was an outrage in Gehenna. If it was uncovered that the son of Satan himself was unaware of his true power, there would be riots, possibly even demands for war. Amaimon himself had been tempted by the idea.

As much as Amaimon wanted to pull Rin out of such a restricting atmosphere, it was impossible with the way he was always around his human brother or the members of the church. Not to mention the wards surrounding the church.

So Amaimon settled into a sort of guardian angel (hah!) for his younger brother. In the human books he had read, it was expected of the older siblings to look after the younger ones, after all.

And, after a while, he began to develop feelings for the younger demon.

Rin was brash and violent, as expected of any young demon. It was in his nature to be territorial and to assert himself as the alpha. When he saw anyone pick on the human brother, he would immediately protect what he considered 'his.'

After these fights, his human side would show, and Amaimon was both intrigued and disgusted by the emotions of guilt and remorse Rin would feel after beating the other children. It made Amaimon angry - Rin had done nothing wrong by establishing himself as the strongest, and yet he would be punished by that  _fake_ of a father. If he had been raised in Gehenna, like he should have been, the boy would be praised and receive special privileges for being the strongest.

Another thing that Amaimon had noticed was how Rin was almost endearingly...cute. He would puff up his cheeks when he was upset and he was always thoughtful of others. It was refreshing to see such an enthusiastic youngling whenever he cooked or babbled excitedly about his day.

After several months of observing the boy, he was already fond and slightly protective of him. So when he saw the dark-haired boy get cornered by a revolting human, Amaimon snapped.

Admittedly it wasn't the greatest decision of his life. At first he had been confused about Rin's reaction, so he went to his older brother Samael for advice.

Samael laughed at him for a good five minutes before explaining between chuckles that Rin, being raised as a human, probably wouldn't take well to seeing a man murdered.

Amaimon was mortified. And also furious. In Gehenna it was perfectly normal to kill, whether the thing being killed was a human or demon didn't matter. Once again Amaimon felt killing intent for the human named Shiro Fujimoto.

Amaimon was determined to ease Rin into demon culture, but he knew it wouldn't be as simple as that.

The next time Amaimon encountered Rin, he had made sure to act more like a human so he wouldn't startle Rin this time.

He was pleased that Rin had gotten better from the fear he had previously held. Not only that, Rin hadn't denied the cashier when she called Amaimon his brother, so that meant Rin was at least open to the idea.

Amaimon was led back to the present Rin when the boy was hugged by his human brother. Amaimon bit his nail a little harder, eyes narrowing. After some research he had discovered that the younger twin was already training to become an exorcist - meaning he knew the truth behind his brother and him.

Amaimon and his brothers were constantly playing games with each other, and often times they would hide things in order to progress the game. But this human, who was supposed to be the one Rin trusted the most, hid something so life-changing and important from his own twin.

Although Yukio Okumura was also technically his brother, Amaimon was unable to find it in himself to forgive him.

Amaimon watched as Rin was pulled to a decorated tree, adorned with sparkling ornaments. Under it was a pile of colorful presents. The twins sat down on the thick carpet, both smiling as their 'father' and the rest of the exorcists started singing happy birthday to them. A red and green cake was settled in front of the two, and together they blew out the candles.

Amaimon glared hatefully at the Paladin. Since Christmas was December twenty-fifth and the twins' birthday was only two days later, the church had taken to celebrating them both on the twenty-sixth. On Christmas Day, they would have a big feast and watch movies, but they wouldn't open presents until the next day. On their actual birthday they would go ice skating, or to the movies, or whatever the twins decided they wanted to do.

Amaimon was extremely offended that Rin had to celebrate his birthday with the day of Christ. The Paladin was obviously aware of the irony and went with it.

As Rin ripped open a present wrapped in blue paper, Amaimon thought of his own present that he had gotten for Rin, tucked away safely in his pocket.

.f.a.t.e.

The next day found Amaimon stalking the twins and Shiro Fujimoto to a winter festival. Rin was already running ahead, Yukio calling out to him in exasperation.

The next hour was spent with the boys going from stand to stand, Rin bright with excitement and Yukio with calm amusement at his brother's attitude. Fujimoto was smiling fondly at the two as they ran around.

And then Amaimon saw Rin once again run ahead without anyone noticing. The crowd was thick and only mere minutes later saw Rin looking around in confusion.

"Hello," Amaimon said, right behind Rin.

The boy jumped in surprise, eyes widening as he turned and saw the older teen. His mouth gaped open. "A-Amaimon?" he asked hesitantly.

Amaimon was rather pleased he had remembered his name. "Yes," he said.

"What are you doing here?" Rin asked, seeming to relax now that he wasn't alone in the crowd.

Amaimon subtly began maneuvering Rin to the side and away from where he knew Yukio and Fujimoto were. "I came to give you your present." Rin blinked at him. "It is your birthday, correct?"

Rin flushed in embarrassment. "Y-yeah."

Amaimon crouched down, slipping a simple small box into his hand. "Then, happy birthday, Rin Okumura."

Rin stared at the present for a moment before glancing up and hesitantly opening the box.

Inside was a small silver key. Rin frowned in confusion, picking it up. "A key? What's it for?"

"It opens the door to my home," Amaimon said, smug with the shocked expression on Rin's face. Amaimon had had an enormous home built once he had decided to meet Rin, and after bugging Samael, he had gotten one of those magical keys to give to Rin. "It's magic," he added. "If you put it in any door, it will send you to my house."

Rin stared. "Magic?" He scoffed. "Magic doesn't exist."

Amaimon tilted his head, then snapped his fingers. A thin black necklace looped through the key before hooking around Rin's neck.

"Woah!" Rin fumbled with the necklace reverently. "Can you teach me how to do that?!"

"Perhaps," Amaimon said, making Rin light up. Amaimon smiled, then suddenly picked Rin up so that Rin automatically wrapped his arms around Amaimon's neck.

"What are you doing?" Rin's cheeks were red in embarrassment. "Let me down!"

Amaimon hummed. "The fireworks are going to start soon," he stated instead of acknowledging Rin's demands.

Amaimon meandered into a secluded area, away from the lights of the festival.

"What are you-" Rin was interrupted as Amaimon suddenly jumped  _high_  into the air.

Rin shrieked, clinging to Amaimon as they landed on a building and then took off again. The process was continued until they reached a high tree that was overlooking the festival.

"You're insane!" Rin yelled, although he made no move to let go of Amaimon.

Amaimon nudged him. "Look," he murmured.

Rin peeked out from Amaimon's shoulder, eyes widening.

From here they could see the lanterns lit and scattered across the area. The people were small and Rin could see all the places he had gone to earlier with his brother and father.

Then a boom resonated and a crackling noise echoed through the air, a burst of color lighting up the sky. Amaimon examined Rin as the boy watched the show with undisguised awe.

"Amazing…" Rin mumbled, not taking his eyes off the colors.

Amaimon was secretly pleased to know that Rin hadn't been this happy with any of the other presents he had received.

.f.a.t.e.

Rin was chattering happily to Amaimon as they landed softly on the ground.

"Did you see the one that was super blue and made a fizzing noise? That one was my favorite, I liked the gold one too-"

Amaimon bemusedly listened to him as they made their way back to the festival, Rin holding his hand as they went through the crowd.

"Nii-san!" a voice suddenly called out, interrupting Rin's prattle. Suddenly the hand that was holding his was gone and Yukio was running towards him with Fujimoto right behind him.

"Nii-san, are you okay?!" Yukio's frantic face caused Rin to become guilty. "I was so worried!"

From the shadows, Amaimon scowled as Yukio hugged Rin close to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fluff fluff fluff fluff fluff fluff fluff fluff fluff  
> also amaimon doesn't like yukio lmao he's probs jealous


	5. Learning

Rin stared blankly at the scene before him, a knot in his chest. He felt bile rise in his throat and his fists clenched. Inhaling sharply, he turned away to see Amaimon watching his reaction.

"See?" he murmured, pulling the ten year old closer so he was tucked safely in his arms. "I told you the truth."

Rin's eyes burned from the tears threatening to spill down his face. His throat seemed to close up, making it hard to breathe and impossible to speak.

It had been three years since Amaimon and Rin Okumura first met.

Amaimon had taken it upon himself to teach Rin, slowly at first, and then trusting him with more information.

At first, Amaimon had only taught him basic things, but as time went by he started to feed Rin little truths - things he had been lied to about by the priest.

It wasn't as if Amaimon was doing any wrong - he shouldn't have been lied to in the first place.

He had eventually told him about the sword that contained his flames, who Shiro Fujimoto actually was, and even bits and pieces of his birth mother, Yuri.

And now, Amaimon had decided it was okay to bring Rin to True Cross Academy.

Currently, they were in the security office, watching the cameras inside the Cram classroom. The two security guards sat in their seats, dazed looks on their faces. For the Earth King, it was easy to find plants with useful properties.

The class looked like any other normal class, except for the words about demons written on the board. Exwires sat quietly, clearly taking some sort of test; according to the blackboard, it was their final test before progressing upward.

And low and behold, Yukio Okumura sat in the front seat, pausing every now and then before scribbling something down on his exam.

For Rin, this was the ultimate betrayal. He had been planning on telling Yukio about Amaimon and their heritage early on, but Amaimon had stopped him each time he thought about it. Always coming up with a vague reason, or "you'll understand later."

And now Rin did understand.

Yukio already knew. He knew about Satan, about Rin's flames, about Kurikara, about the old man - he knew everything.

He knew everything, and left Rin in the dark.

"I want to leave," Rin's voice was impressively steady.

As Amaimon led him out of the room, Rin did not look back at the monitor.

.f.a.t.e.

Yukio was aware that something was wrong the moment he got home.

"Nii-san?"

No answer. Yukio tried again.

"Nii-san, why are you angry?"

Once again, he was ignored. Rin was dedicatedly chopping vegetables and swiping them into a pot. Whenever Yukio spoke, Rin's knuckles whitened as he tightened his grip on the knife.

Yukio sighed. "I won't be able to fix whatever I did if I don't know what it is, Nii-san."

"It's nothing," Rin finally said, sounding forced.

"Clearly it's not," Yukio disagreed. "I don't understand what I did wro-"

"I said it's nothing!" Rin snapped, turning from the stove at the same time the stove flashed with blue light.

Yukio froze, staring warily at the stove before focusing back on Rin.

"Okay," he said slowly, hesitantly. "If you want to talk about it, you can come to me whenever you like."

But he didn't.

Rin was steadfast in his stubbornness to not talk to Yukio. The rest of the church was dumbfounded as they saw the stonily silent Rin and the miserable Yukio at the dinner table. It was their first fight ever.

Later that night, the windows lit up with white light before a booming clashing noise thundered.

Yukio knew Rin was afraid of thunderstorms. Rin would always come and crawl into Yukio's bed whenever they occurred.

But Rin was still in his own bed across the room this time.

What could he have done that would have caused Rin to be so furious at him?

He knew Rin was terrified by the way his head was buried underneath his blanket and how he would flinch when the clapping sound thundered. He could hear quiet little whimpers and he could imagine Rin's eyes squeezed shut and his hands covering his ears in an attempt to block out the noise.

Suddenly Yukio was angry. He hadn't done anything so why was Rin treating him like this? If he wanted to be so stubborn about it, then fine. Who cared?  _Yukio_  certainly wasn't the one being so pigheaded. And he wasn't going to go comfort Rin if Rin didn't ask first.

Pushing aside his guilt, Yukio turned so he was facing the wall.

Clearing his mind, he slowly started to drift off, not noticing when Rin's stifled cries stopped.

.f.a.t.e.

Rin shivered, clutching the blanket like it was his lifeline. He curled up into a ball, refusing to open his eyes.

He shuddered when a light flashed, causing the dark behind his eyelids to go white momentarily.

It wasn't long until he started crying.

Quiet sobs racked his body, and he desperately wanted to go over to Yukio's bed and crawl in with him, but he wasn't even sure if he would be able to make it over there.

Usually it didn't matter because if Rin didn't go to Yukio first, Yukio would automatically come to him, knowing Rin was scared.

This time, a storm happened in the middle of when Rin was angry at Yukio, and Yukio knew Rin was angry with him.

So Rin was alone, shaking with tears dribbling over his cheeks.

Suddenly his bed dipped down. It was heavier than Yukio, but lighter than his father.

Arms turned him around, fitting him into a warm body. Rin instantly recognized the scent of earth and grass and flowers.

"A-Amai-"

A clash of thunder sounded again, and Rin instantly buried his head into Amaimon's shoulder, wrapping his skinny arms around him. Amaimon rested his hand on Rin's back, soothingly murmuring to him reassurances.

Amaimon's coat was warm, Rin noticed. The material was soft and Amaimon's mumbling distracted him from the pounding of rain on the roof and the lightning outside.

Rin felt his body slowly relax. He pressed his cheek onto Amaimon, eyes drooping slightly.

"Sleep," Amaimon said softly. "You are safe."

Rin's eyes closed, his breathing steadying out from the quick, panicked ones he had before.

He fell asleep with Amaimon's arms wrapped safely around him.

When he woke up the next morning, a daisy was laying next to him along with a stuffed bear that was smiling happily at him.

Drowsily, he read the note tied to the bear's paw.

_To Rin,_

_For when I am not there and you need to be comforted. His name is Mephy._

_Amaimon_

Rin smiled, hugging the bear to his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> amai stole the bear from the gift shop at mephisto's lame amusement park btw lmao


	6. Encountering

Mephisto Pheles was a clever man -- or, well, demon, but you get the point. He was successful, rich, and pretty much the most handsomest man he knew. He made a point to flamboyantly parade around in ridiculous outfits just to show that he could, and he wasn’t hesitant to lord his power over other people.

Usually, he was well-known enough to be avoided and respected by exorcists everywhere. He was almost always composed and knew everything that happened in his realm.

The door slammed open, revealing a maliciously grinning Shiro Fujimoto with a dark aura surrounding him. In his hand was a slightly damp, clearly stained stuffed bear.

“ _Pheles_ ,” Fujimoto smiled, teeth grinding together. “ _Explain to me why Rin has this bear_.”

Mephisto stared at the bear, pointing at it with a gaping mouth.

Wasn’t that one of his special edition cutie cutie pom Phelie-sama bears?! How did Fujimoto manage to acquire such a rare item?! More importantly, how could he have been so careless as to get it stained?!

When Mephisto continued to open his mouth and close it repeatedly like a fish out of water, a tick mark appeared on his forehead.

A bullet lodged itself in the wall next to his head.

“ _Pheles_ ,” the man hissed. Mephisto shivered. Wasn’t Fujimoto acting more demon-like than him?! What was up with that?!

Mephisto regained himself, straightening his hat primly. “Ah,” he nodded understandingly. Fujimoto leaned in with anticipation. “I have no idea what you’re talking about!” he said brightly, sparkles flying around him. Fujimoto nearly fell out of his seat.

“I’m telling you, Rin has been clinging to this stupid bear and calling it ‘Mephy’ all week! I had to spill orange juice on it for him to even agree to let go of it so I could wash it! He refuses to tell me where he got it! Not only that, it looks suspiciously like you!” He flailed in the direction of the cute top hat and irritating twinkle in its dead plastic eyes.

A light bulb appeared in his head.

Mephisto was going to _drag Amaimon back to hell by his feet._

Fujimoto immediately caught on to his narrowed eyes. “So you do know something!”

Mephisto’s head turned to give his a smile full of teeth that was so blinding white that Fujimoto was momentarily stunned. “Of course not! Why would I know about something like that? It’s just a coincidence, a coincidence! He probably found it on the ground or something, you know how kids are! Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting with someone right now and it’s really quite important, so I wish you good luck with your problem, see you later Shiro-chan bye bye now!”

The door slammed closed, leaving Fujimoto bristling with rage.

“ _MEPHISTO!!_ ”

.f.a.t.e.

Amaimon examined the faint burn marks on his arms with disinterest. The wards around the monastery that housed Rin were stronger than he expected, but since it was where the Paladin resided he wasn’t surprised.

The wounds he had acquired from sneaking in to see Rin was worth it though. Rin was too cute, it was a miracle he had managed out so well considering who his father was.

Not to mention how pleasing it was that Rin was clinging to him rather than the bespeckled boy in the other bed.

It was a little petty, but Amaimon had never claimed to be mature.

“ _Amaimon_ ,” a voice seethed furiously behind him.

“Brother,” acknowledged Amaimon.

Mephisto sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “...Shiro Fujimoto showed up in my office today with Rin’s bear.”

Amaimon bit his nail, eyes narrowing in anger. “And?”

Mephisto pouted. “How could you give one of my platinum edition cutie-cutie bears to a snotty brat?!” he whined.

Amaimon didn’t even blink. “I see, Brother is being weird again. Once again he’s shown a strange fetish.”

“It’s a legitimate concern! Those bears are for _aesthetic purposes Amaimon it’s very important_ -”

“Eh? Amai-nii?”

The two demons froze.

Rin Okumura stood in front of them, tilting his head.

It was then that, simultaneously, they realized that they were in the middle of the park.

“ _My brother’s an idiot, I’m an idiot, I can’t even claim to be clever anymore, I’ll never respect myself again…_ ” Mephisto mumbled against a tree.

“Huh?” Rin stared at Mephisto, squinting. “You look kinda familiar…” he trailed off, looking at him contemplatively.

His eyes widened. He raised his arm dramatically, pointing straight at Mephisto.

“Mephy?! How did you become human?!”

Amaimon doubled over in silent laughter, clutching his stomach as if he was in pain.

Mephisto’s eye twitched.

“ _I am not a bear_ ,” he managed to hiss out in his indignation.

Amaimon straighten up, face now completely poker-faced. “That’s Samael.”

A moment of silence.

“EH?!” Rin screeched. “This freaky guy is my brother?!”

Amaimon collapsed on the ground, muffling his laughter through his hand.

A dark shadow formed over the eldest brother. “If we’re talking about freaky, then shouldn’t _he_ be the weird one?!” he motioned towards the goth-dressed teen shaking on the ground.

Rin pondered this. “Well, at first I thought he was super weird, but it turns out that Amai-nii is really warm and nice.”

“Then wouldn’t it be probable that I would turn out to be like that too?!”

“Huh, but…” Rin frowned, giving him a side glance. “Well, you give off this really uncomfortable vibe...like you’re a creeper, or something…”

“...”

Amaimon thumped his head into the ground with glee.

Mephisto hated his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i laughed so hard while writing this chapter mephisto is legit the biggest dork ever  
> also ff.net is being weird and it won't let me go to my account setting so if you're reading on there and you're confused why it's updated on ao3, it's bc ff.net is being dumb :/ i'll post it once i can get to my settings  
> thx 4 ur awesome support B)


	7. Growing

Shiro rubbed his forehead in an attempt to ease his growing headache.

Rin and Yukio were now thirteen -  _thirteen, they're growing up so fast_ \- and Rin had only become more and more difficult.

Rin had been distancing himself for years now. If Shiro had to pick a time when it had begun, it was probably all those years ago when Rin had been attacked.

He was always out nowadays. He claimed that he was only going out for a walk, but sometimes he wouldn't come back for hours. It stressed Shiro out like nothing else.

Not only that, but Rin seemed to question almost everything he did. Why he and Yukio went out everyday, the paperwork he had to do even though he was "only a priest," even the special wine he made for Kuro.

Rin had even started to mistrust Yukio. It was like he just didn't need his twin for the things he used to. He almost never crawled into bed with his brother anymore, he was less enthusiastic about doing anything with him, and the hugs he used to give out all the time were coming less and less often. Yukio was obviously hurt by his twin's actions, but he distracted himself by plunging himself in his duties as an exorcist.

It had taken two years for Rin to stop carrying that bear around with him everywhere he went. Even now, it was perched safely on his bed and was given Rin's most utmost care.

Shiro sighed, placing his glasses back onto his nose as he turned his attention back to the scene in front of him.

"You can do better than that, can't you, Four-Eyes?!" Shura cackled as she and Yukio blasted away at the targets.

Yukio gritted his teeth, his forehead furrowed in concentration. Shura was trying to get Yukio irritated so he would miss his shots, but Shiro was proud to note that his son was calm enough to hit bullseye every time.

By the time the stimulation was over, both Yukio and Shura were on the ground panting.

"You did good, Four-Eyes," Shura said, still breathless but now grinning.

Yukio said nothing, but Shiro could see the glint of pride in his eyes.

Shura gave a loud goodbye as she made her way out. There was a small silence before Yukio asked, "Do you think Nii-san will be home today?"

Shiro winced at the carefully blank tone. Yukio was clearly more worried than he let on.

"Who knows," Shiro sighed. "Rin's going through his rebellious phase, after all."

Yukio's grip tightened on the gun he was putting back. "Nii-san's been coming home with more injuries lately."

Shiro said nothing. He had noticed that Rin would come back with cuts and bruises recently, but he had only assumed that Rin had been getting into fights recently. Yukio had probably come up with the same conclusion as him.

Yukio stared unseeingly at bullet in his hand. "I'm worried about him," he said finally. "His flames are getting more out of hand recently. It's hard to cover it up when it happens almost every day. What if he gets angry when he's outside and it attracts a demon?"

It was true. As Rin had gotten more and more irritable, his flames had gotten more and more powerful. At this rate they were going to have to tell Rin the truth.

Yukio's last question made Shiro shiver. What would happen if Rin was caught by a demon?

...He didn't want to think about it.

.f.a.t.e.

Rin grunted as he was slammed into again. He flew backwards, managing to turn the heels of his feet so he was back in a fighting stance. The creature snarled, saliva dripping across its face and onto the ground.

It lunged, aiming for Rin's neck. Rin immediately blocked it with his sword, forcing the demon to chew on the metal before it shrieked, demonic blood spilling across the ground. It hissed, tongue already healing.

Rin steadied his sword, knees parted and eyes narrowed. They circled each other for a moment before the demon bounded towards him, claws out.

He breathed in sharply, eyes focusing and zoning everything else out. The creature's skin was completely hard, except for it's eyes and mouth.

The dark-haired boy squatted down slightly, sword tilting. The demon screeched in realization, but it's momentum was too fast.

Rin drew his sword back before slamming it forward into the demon's right eyes, going straight down into its body and through its heart. It flailed wildly, arms desperately trying to reach Rin.

He breathed out, closing his eyes.

The sword erupted into blue flames, making the demon that was impaled by the sword explode.

Rin collapsed onto the ground, grinning victoriously. There was the sound of clapping behind him.

"You did good, little brother," Amaimon congratulated.

The half-demon beamed.

The dark-haired teen then turned his attention back to the sword he had been using. Grimacing, he pulled it out of the remaining flesh of the demon.

The metal dripped onto the ground, the shape now curved and clearly not usable.

"This is the third one this month," Rin complained, poking the soft metal.

Amaimon tilted his head. "You have yet to balance your flames so that it only affects the one you are attacking," he said mildly. "It will take practice, but you will get there," he added at Rin's downtrodden face.

Amaimon bit his nail, still staring at the sword. "We will have to get another sword from Brother."

Rin groaned in despair.

.f.a.t.e.

"My, my, what do we have here?" Mephisto's smug face stared at them from behind his desk. "Another expensive sword? Don't tell me you've already broken the other one, littlest brother?"

Rin scowled. "I couldn't help it," he mumbled.

The eldest demon smirked. "Well, if my cute little brother really needs one, all he has to do is ask."

Rin flinched. "No way! It's too embarrassing!"

Mephisto adopted a disappointed face. "I see. Then I guess there's no way I'd be able to get such an important item."

Rin crossed his arms in defiance. There was no way he was going to lower himself like that again! He assured himself that he wouldn't give in this time.

Then he made the mistake of glancing at Amaimon.

The Earth King was staring at him with big, hopeful eyes. Rin could almost swear that he saw puppy dog ears droop along with a tail.

_Don't tell me that Amai-nii gets pleasure out of my embarrassment too?!_

Rin scowled, face turning red. "Fine! I'll do it!"

Both Mephisto and Amaimon perked up, looking delighted.

 _He tricked me!_  Rin stared at Amaimon with horror.

Rin reluctantly turned his attention back to Mephisto.

"Well?" Mephisto looked gleeful.

Rin's face was completely red.

"O-onii-chan, can Rin-chan please have your help?" Rin covered up his face out of embarrassment at the end of his question, utterly mortified.

Mephisto squealed, jumping up and squeezing Rin into a hug. "Of course Onii-chan will help you! You're so cute, Rin-chan!"

"I'm not cute!" Rin squawked, struggling to get out of the embrace. "Right, Amai-nii?!" he looked hopefully at his favored brother.

Amaimon's cheeks were dusted with pink. "No, Rin's definitely cute," he mumbled.

 _I've been betrayed!_  Rin cried internally.

After several more minutes of Mephisto cooing over Rin, he finally handed over another sword.

"Goodbye, you two! Take care,  _Rin-chan_ ," there was a vindictive grin on Mephisto's face.

"Bye,  _Sammy_ ," Rin smiled darkly back.

Amaimon strategically pulled Rin out of the office before the situation could escalate.

.f.a.t.e.

"I'm home," Rin called out tiredly, rubbing his eyes.

"Nii-san, welcome back," Yukio offered, eyes looking up from his book. Yukio would never admit it, but he had been waiting on Rin for over two hours now, too worried to focus on his homework.

"Where's the old man?" Rin asked, pulling off his jacket.

"He's already in bed."

"Oh," Rin scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Yukio's vision immediately zeroed in on his arm. "Is it really that late?"

"Yes," Yukio said simply, closing his book. "Nii-san, did you get into another fight today? Your arm is injured."

"Huh?" Rin glanced down at his arm to see his bruised and scratched arm from where the demon had slammed into him earlier. "Oh, yeah. Sorry, Yukio."

Yukio sighed, covering up his worry with irritation. "Let's get that cleaned up, then."

Yukio was quick to get the first aid kit and disinfect the scratch. Rin hissed at the burning sensation.

"Really, Nii-san, you're always coming home injured. You should try to take better care of yourself," Yukio scolded lightly, applying a soothing cream to his arm.

Rin breathed out blissfully at the cooling sensation. "Sorry, Yukio," he said again, this time a bit more guiltily. Rin regretted the distance that had formed between Yukio and him, but sometimes Rin just didn't know if he could trust his brother anymore.

Yukio worked in silence as he wrapped a bandage carefully around Rin's arm.

Rin grinned, holding up his arm in examination. "Thanks, Yukio! It's almost as good as new!" he said brightly, reaching up with his uninjured arm to ruffle his twin's hair.

Yukio turned so Rin couldn't see his pleased look. "It was nothing. Be more careful next time, okay?"

Rin agreed before yawning widely. "I think I'm gonna hit the sack," he said tiredly. "'Night, Yukio."

"Sleep well, Nii-san," Yukio replied, watching as Rin disappeared from his sight.

Yukio gripped the handle of the first aid kit harshly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're finally getting closer to the timeline of the anime!! thanks for everyone's support!


	8. Moving

Rin pouted as Yukio once again bandaged his wounds.

"-and you were fired from your job again, Nii-san! This is already the fourth time!"

"It's not my fault!" Rin insisted. It really wasn't this time! That demon had been annoying him for days, it was just asking to be killed! It's not his fault that it was suicidal enough to bug him!

His brother gave him a skeptical look.

"It's true!" Rin scowled, crossing his arms. The other priests listening in to the conversation laughed goodnaturedly.

Yukio rolled his eyes, a small smile forming. A warm feeling boiled up in him as he observed Rin's comfortable stance. Slowly but surely, Rin had fitted himself back into the family, although he still managed to come home with injuries.

"Huh? What's this I hear? The great Rin has lost another job?"

"Shut up, old man!" Rin scowled as his father walked in.

"It's a good thing I got you a job interview at three o'clock, right?" Fujimoto grinned cheekily.

"Why you-! Do you have so little faith in me that you're signing me up for jobs before I'm even fired?!" Rin paused. "And three o'clock?! That's in less than an hour!"

"Then I guess you should start getting ready!" Fujimoto's humored response brought on another round of laughter.

Rin cursed as he bolted to his room, clearly on his way to putting on what he called 'The Suit Of Evil.'

"Jeez, what are we going to do with him?" Yukio sighed fondly.

Rin skidded back into the room, attempting to flatten his wrinkled shirt while putting on the black jacket.

"Where's your tie?" Fujimoto grinned knowingly.

"What the hell?! Is this 'Make Fun of Rin Day' or something?!"

"Maybe if you had kept your job you wouldn't be getting teased," Fujimoto ruffled Rin's hair, purposely messing it up.

"Gah! You stupid old man, I hate you!" Rin turned his glare away from his father to the snickering clergymen. "And you! Stop laughing, you bastards!"

The mentioned clergymen doubled over, howling. Rin twitched.

"Whatever, I'm leaving!" he grumpily stormed out, calls of "Good luck!" following him.

Rin slowed as he exited the gates, patting his hair down in an attempt to fix the messy locks.

Why did he have to get a job anyway? He knew he wouldn't be getting into any great high schools with his attendance and test scores, but he was only fifteen!

"Hey you! Okumura!" Rin turned to see a suspicious-looking group of boys in front of him. Rin didn't let his gaze stray to the horns on the one who addressed him. "Can we talk?"

A minute later and Rin found himself in a dead end alley with the boys surrounding him.

"How much do you want?"

"Huh?" Rin frowned in confusion. "Want?"

"Don't act stupid. My parents are pretty famous, and I'm going to the True Cross Academy soon...it'd be pretty bad if any rumors started up about me, right?" The possessed boy grinned nastily.

"Um...who exactly are you again?" Rin tilted his head.

The group deadpanned.

"Huh?! Don't you remember?! We fought the other day ago!"

"Eh?" Rin blinked. Had they really? At this point Rin had been fighting so much that the names and faces faded away.

After a moment, Rin identified them. "Oh yeah, you were the assholes killing those birds."

"Exactly! So how much do you want?" the boy leaned in eagerly.

"Ten thousand yen," the answer came immediately.

"...What?" the possessed boy looked stunned. Apparently he had been expecting a different response.

"Ten thousand yen will buy my silence." Rin was completely straight-faced.

"..."

Clearly too shocked to respond correctly, the leader of the group numbly handed over the bills.

Rin counted the money. "Thanks for the business, I won't tell anyone about your hobbies." He turned to go.

"...Get him!" Obviously the leader had regained his senses.

The other two lunged, tackling him down. The slip of paper that had the address the job interview fluttered to the ground.

"Huh? What's this?" The demon picked up the paper. "A job interview? Is that why you're so dressed up?" He sneered. "You really are a miserable little thing, huh? You're just the scum of society after all!"

The demon got closer, hand reaching into his jacket. A pocket knife gleamed as he flicked it open.

"If you're looking for a job, you'll need to cut your hair!" A malicious grin stretched across his face. "I'll help you out with that! Ahahahaha!"

One of the guys holding him down hesitantly said, "A..are you sure about this? This is a real crime, isn't it?"

"Shut up!" The knife got dangerously close to Rin's face.

When the lackey quieted, the demon's attention focused back on Rin. "Now, don't get too mad if I slip and cut open your head, okay? I'm a beginner at this, after all." Rin's face was shadowed from the bangs hanging over his eyes.

"...Pfft."

"...?" The demon paused.

"Ahaha! What a joke!" Rin's head tilted up to look straight into the demon's eyes. "You think you can hurt  _me_?"

The two boys holding Rin screamed as blue flames erupted from his body.

"This is too much! We're outta here!" They backed up, turning and fleeing.

"Looks like I was right about you!" The demon's eyes lit up with glee. "Those flames are the real thing; the Flames of Satan…!"

Rin's flames flickered as the demon kneeled.

"I have been searching for you for so long, Young Master!" He extended a hand. "Come, let us set forth! Satan-sama awaits us!"

Rin's eyes narrowed in contempt, but before he could say anything a clear voice rang out behind him.

" _Evil dwells within this heart. O Lord, let each be judged according to his deeds. Let sinful conduct beget retribution. Let each pay for that which he has taken. Bring down thy justice upon them._ "

"This is…!" the demon's eyes widened in shock.

" _Smite them that they shall never rise again._ "

Rin's eyes turned to his adopted father.

" _Blessed by the Lord. Demon, perish where you stand._ "

' _So it begins, huh?_ ' Rin watched as dark mass exploded from the possessed boy's mouth. The now-normal boy collapsed.

"Rin, have you calmed down?" Suddenly his father was in front of him, his hands on his shoulders. Rin's flames spluttered to nothingness.

Rin blinked, staring up into the concerned gaze. "...Yeah."

Fujimoto exhaled deeply, muttering, "It seems that Kurikara can no longer contain your powers…"

Rin said nothing as his father pulled him up from the ground.

"I daresay you can see them now?" Fujimoto's eyes drifted to the buzzing creatures. "The demons."

"Demons...I can see them," Rin answered vaguely. Fujimoto seemed to be too distracted to notice the strange response.

"Thanks to this, the demons are now aware of your awakening. We'll have to hurry. You need to be hidden before they find you."

They neared the church and Fujimoto glanced back at him. "You are the son of Satan."

Rin inhaled sharply.

This was it. After so many years of lies, his father had finally told him. A bitter smile crossed his lips. All it had taken was his life to be in danger. Rin was now aware that Fujimoto wouldn't told him at all unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Father Fujimoto?" a priest asked as they entered the church.

"Rin's awakened," he grimly replied.

Suddenly everyone was rushing around, yelling orders and getting supplies. Fujimoto disappeared for a moment before coming back with a sheathed sword.

"Never open this, Rin," his father said. "I know this is confusing for you, and I'll explain it to you in time. This sword is Kurikara, and your demonic powers are connected to it. Once you unsheath it, you can't go back."

The rest of the exorcists in the room had weapons in their possession already, on guard and tense as they blocked the entries.

"Why is everyone acting like this?" Rin asked, eyes downcast.

"Now that you've awakened, demons will come after you. They'll stop at nothing to get to you, especially right now," his father explained gently. "That's why we are guarding the church. They'll attempt to get in since your powers are probably attracting them right now."

"There's no need for that."

The exorcists glanced at Rin in confusion.

"What do you mean, Rin?" Fujimoto asked, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"I already awakened a long time ago, so there won't be any demons coming here."

Fujimoto stared at Rin in shock. "Rin...what do you…"

Rin smiled distantly. "Didn't you know, old man? I've known about my heritage, my powers, demons, exorcists...for a while now."

His eyes met his stunned father's.

"I've been aware of everything for years."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE ARE FINALLY AT THE START OF THE CANON STORY I'M SO EXCITED


	9. Destroying

"What are you saying, Rin?" Fujimoto stuttered, eyes wide with denial. "There's no way...you're lying, aren't you?"

Rin could see the same feelings of shock in the exorcists around him. These people, whom he had always considered family, were now watching him with the beginnings of betrayal. There were mutters of suspicion starting up between them.

"Lying?" Rin pondered the word with a distasteful intonation. "For what reason would I have to lie?"

Fujimoto stared helplessly at his adopted son. "How? How did you find out?"

The half-demon answered the question dryly. "You honestly thought the demons would wait until now to seek me out?"

Fujimoto flinched at his incredulous tone. "Why?" There was a desperate undertone to his speech. "Why would you keep this from us? From me?"

Suddenly Rin was filled with overwhelming anger. "Excuse me?" His lips curled into a snarl. "Perhaps if you had told me the truth when you told  _Yukio_  this would have never happened!"

The Paladin recoiled. "You know about Yukio?"

"What? You mean how he's an exorcist as well? How you two have gone and played heroes every night? How you told him everything and left me in the dark?" Rin was getting fired up, his hands sparking around the sheathed sword. The bitterness and fury that had been bottled up in him for years was now overflowing. Rin knew he should calm down before things got out of control, but to think that the only reason Fujimoto told him the truth was because his life was on the line- it infuriated him.

However, before Fujimoto could respond, there was a death-rattling scream and one of the priests was flaming blue, blue, blue -

The fire spread and there were shouted orders thrown around.

Rin's eyes met Fujimoto's, and both understood that these were not Rin's flames.

"Gyahahahaha! What's this, what's this? My baby boy is all grown up!" a mocking voice cackled, and it took Rin a second to register the noise from the soft-spoken exorcist Naki. The possessed man's face dripped like it was a liquid and he dropped to the ground like a stone.

"Isn't this a great reunion?" The deep voice said, this time from the opposite side of the room.

Rin's head whipped around to see the curling horns on another exorcist before he too crumpled like a wet paper bag.

Satan switched bodies as easily as one would change their shirt. Unfortunately, none of the other exorcists seemed to be up to the task of holding Satan in them, because they all fell before his birth father could even get a word out.

Before he could blink, the only ones left standing in the room were Rin and Fujimoto. Blood stained the floors and slowly a trail of the red liquid ran its way across the floor, stopping when it met Rin's shoe. Time slowed down as blue flames whipped back and forth.

Rin's face was slack with shock when Fujimoto gripped his chest in pain.

"Run, Rin!" he gasped out, blood bubbling out of his mouth. "Get out of here!"

Rin took a step back, shaking.

This - this wasn't what he had wanted.

Fujimoto's - no, Satan's head snapped up, a deranged grin distorting his adopted father's face.

"It's great to see you, kiddo!" Satan's voice sounded wrong coming out of Fujimoto's mouth. "You can call me 'Papa!'"

The king of demons took a step closer, eyes lit up with malicious eagerness. Rin was frozen to the spot in disbelief.

"We don't have much time to catch up right now," Satan laughed, hand reaching out. "This body won't be lasting much longer, after all."

A string of demonic language slipped out of Satan's mouth, and Rin vaguely recognized the words from his lessons with Samael. A dark circle appeared on the ground, growing and growing with disgusting substances and a roaring sound coming from the tar-like material.

Satan grabbed his arm, leering at him with a vicious grin. "We should get going, don't cha think? Gehenna's waiting!"

It was as if his body was on autopilot. His ears were ringing and his vision was blurring. But in the next moment, his body was encased in brilliant blue flames and Satan was staring down at Fujimoto's pierced stomach.

For a second it seemed like Satan was unaffected. He looked up with a smirk and Rin's gaze was stone when he looked back at the sneering face.

Then Rin  _pushed_  his power out, focusing his will on the black wisp of Satan inside Fujimoto, and there was a stream of shrieking coming from the demon. Rin felt rather than saw his birth father fall back, out of Fujimoto's body and into the gate, sealing it.

Rin stumbled, catching Fujimoto as he fell. Kurikara was heavy in his hand, and Rin concentrated his flames as he pulled the blade out, sealing the wound it caused on its way out.

Satisfied that Fujimoto wouldn't immediately die, Rin's eyes grew heavy and the last thing he saw was wide, golden eyes.

.f.a.t.e.

Rin woke up to the smell of medicine and the sound of beeping.

He opened his eyes to see a white ceiling above him and an uncomfortable feeling that could only come from being in a hospital. His assumption was proven correct when his eyes turned to the IV in his arm and the white hospital gown he was dressed in.

He immediately made out the flowers on the nightstand, a beautiful assortment of expensive ones that Rin knew only Amaimon could acquire so quickly.

The next thing he noticed was Yukio.

"Nii-san," his twin breathed at the sight of Rin's awakening.

"Y-Yukio," Rin stumbled on his words, voice cracked and weak. "What happened?"

"I was hoping you could answer that," Yukio said, eyes shadowed. "When I got home, you were outside with Father and the church was already in ashes. The rest of the clergymen are dead."

Rin jumped slightly at the mention of Fujimoto. "Is the old man okay?!"

Yukio's lips thinned, lowering his eyes so they wouldn't meet Rin's. "...He's in a coma. The doctors say it will take months, maybe years for him to wake up. If he'll wake up at all, that is."

Rin's stomach dropped. "S-Satan," he muttered. "It was Satan."

Yukio's gaze sharpened, glancing up to look at something next to Rin, and he was suddenly aware of a soft object brushing against his leg. He looked down to see a black  _tail_  flickering back and forth in agitation.

"Huh," Rin said blankly.

He had a tail.

Apparently Yukio took his silence for shock because he said, "Your demonic traits came out when you took out Kurikara."

"Yukio…" Rin didn't know what to say.

His brother abruptly stood up. "I'll see you in the morning, Nii-san," he said and only now did Rin see the grief in his brother. "We'll talk more then."

Rin watched his twin go with clenched hands.

.f.a.t.e.

"What a troublesome little brother," Mephisto sighed, although a smirk betrayed his tone.

The demon moved a chess piece across the board. "It seems the game has finally started heating up."

Next to him, blank gold eyes stared unseeingly out the window. A too long fingernail met the green-haired Earth King's mouth as he chewed on it.

Whether the gleam in his eyes was anticipation or worry was unknown even to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> u guys didn't want fujimoto to die so there u go (:


	10. Consequences

The ride to Cross Academy was awkward.

Shortly after Rin was released from the hospital, he was 'introduced' to Mephisto since it was decided he would study to become an exorcist. The smug smile Samael kept sending him irritated him to no end.

Rin turned his thoughts away from his annoying older brother and focused them on the brother sitting next to him currently.

Yukio had been abnormally silent since the hospitalization of their father. Rin had expected some sort of speech of sticking together from his twin, but Yukio was persistently pensive.

Of course, Rin hadn't talked to him about what had happened on the night of the fire. He knew he was eventually going to have to tell Yukio the truth, but he was going to wait until he absolutely had to. Before, Rin had wanted to tell Yukio what he had been doing for the past few years, see the shock Rin had felt when he had found out about Yukio on Yukio's face. Now...now they had no father, no family, and no home. Telling his twin the truth would break him.

And despite his negative feelings toward his human brother, he still loved him. He was still the same boy who held him when he was scared and cleaned up his wounds. Hurting Yukio even more at this point was something he wanted to avoid at all costs.

Rin was pulled out of his thoughts when the car pulled up next a towering gate. His eyes widened as he took in the magnificent school. Although he had visited the place before, he had never had the time to appreciate it.

Nervously, he smoothed out his uniform. The expensive material was unfamiliar on his skin. He made sure his tail was tucked away safely ("A gentleman always keeps his tail hidden," Amai-nii said distantly) and stepped out of the car, watching as Yukio did the same.

"Welcome to Cross Academy!" Samael beamed, swinging his arms around Rin's and Yukio's shoulders. Instantly they both grimaced before they caught each other's eye. Rin smiled tentatively and Yukio's eyes softened.

.f.a.t.e.

Yukio was the teacher at cram school.

His brother! Yukio! Was the teacher!

No wonder that creep of a brother was so smug! They were both messing with him!

"All right, settle down everyone!" Yukio called out, eyes looking straight at Rin. Rin grudgingly relaxed his grip on the table, trying to mentally tell his twin that they would be talking about this later. Yukio ignored his intense look and heaved a suitcase on a table.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all, I hope we'll get along for the rest of the year."

The rest of the class, excluding Rin, murmured affirmative answers.

"Now then, how many of you have never sustained a mashou?" his brother asked.

A few hands raised and Rin exhaled heavily. There were people here who wanted to fight demons they had never seen?

The rest of the class period was spent getting the others bitten and Rin shifting constantly from irritation to tiredness.

.f.a.t.e.

"Nii-san, we need to talk."

Rin looked up from the book he had been flipping through out of boredom.

"The night Father died...you said it was Satan." The way Yukio said it wasn't a question.

Rin nodded slowly in agreement.

"Father was the strongest exorcist I've ever known. His mental shields were top-ranked. So...what did you say to him, Nii-san?" Rin stiffened. "The father I knew...he would have never let himself almost get killed like that unless he was so shocked he couldn't help but lower his guard." When Rin remained silent, Yukio slammed his fist against the wall. "You owe me that! After everything I've gone through, you should be able to tell me how my father almost died!" Yukio's voice cracked.

"Yukio…" Rin watched as his twin's face twisted in anguish. "I...told him something."

"What? What was it? Did you tell him you hated him? Was that it?" Yukio's eyes burned into his. "Because he never told you the truth for your protection?"

Rin stared down at his hands. "No. That wasn't it."

"Then what, Nii-san?" The anger had faded out to bitter resignation.

"I…" Rin stopped. "When the old man told me about demons and everything that day…"

This was it. It was coming out.

He took in a deep breath, looking up at Yukio. "Yukio, I already knew."

Yukio froze. "...Knew?"

"A demon found me a few years ago and told me everything." Rin averted his eyes from his brother's stunned gaze.

"No...that's impossible," Yukio breathed, taking a step back. "This whole time...you've been lying?"

"Only as much as you have. Youngest exorcist ever, huh?" A bitter laugh forced itself out of Rin's mouth.

"Nii-san…" Guilt flooded Yukio's expression.

"The old man was possessed after I told him that." Rin's hands clenched, his nails digging into his skin. "If I had known that would have happened, I would have never told him."

The room was dead silent and for a moment, Rin thought that Yukio had left.

He hadn't expected arms to wrap around his subtly shaking body.

"I'm sorry, Nii-san…" Distantly Rin felt a wetness on his shoulder, but the tears blurring his vision weren't much better than Yukio's. "I guess we've all been pretty stupid."

Shakily, Rin returned the hug.

And even though he had told Yukio part of the truth, he knew he would never be able to tell him about Amai-nii.

.f.a.t.e.

"What's wrong, Amaimon?" Mephisto asked amusedly.

The scowl on Amaimon's face gave Mephisto way too much cheer.

"Rin is with that human." The petulant answer made Mephisto raise an eyebrow.

"'That human?' You mean Yukio?" Mephisto grinned as the frown deepened. "Don't tell me you're jealous?"

"..." Amaimon turned away from Mephisto. "I'm Rin's favorite, not him."

Mephisto patted his younger brother's back sympathetically even while he snickered.

Amaimon watched with darkened eyes as his youngest brother was embraced by the larger figure.

.f.a.t.e.

The girl named Shiemi was sweet and overwhelmingly kind. Her enthusiasm about her garden made Rin smile and the constant blushing from the shy girl was adorable. Her cheerful attitude was refreshing and her clumsiness reminded Rin of Yukio from when they were kids.

When the demon that was feeding from her was discovered, he was glad when Yukio ruthlessly killed it.

After the whole mess was cleaned up, Shiemi announced she would be joining his class to become an exorcist. Her hesitant smile caused Rin to grin.

.f.a.t.e.

"Okumura-san….Okumura-san! Wake up!"

Rin's head flew out of his arms in shock. "Huh?"

The elderly teacher frowned in disapprovement and turned back to the class to continue with the lesson.

"Why the hell is that guy here anyway?" a voice muttered, causing Rin to tilt his head to the side slightly to catch sight of the multi-colored hair and sharp glare. If Rin remembered correctly, the guy's name was Suguro.

He caught Rin's eye. "Beat it!"

Rin rolled his eyes, slouching and turning back around. It wasn't his fault the lesson was so boring - he had already learned about all of this from Amai-nii years ago.

After the next few classes, it slowly dawned on Rin that he knew most of the material already.

For the first time in his life, he was ahead of the rest of the class! This place was truly a miracle!

Rin rewarded himself with a nap in the middle of Grimoire Studies. After all, it wouldn't do to fall asleep in Yukio's class next period.

Half an hour later, he was nudged awake by Shiemi as Yukio walked into the room, a stack of papers in his hands.

"I'll be handing back the results from the test we had last class," his twin announced, shuffling through them to look at the names.

"Shima-kun." The pink-haired monk laughed nervously as he was handed his paper.

"Moriyama-san."

"Y-yes!" Shiemi took back her paper, staring at the large 41 glaring back at her.

"Next time, please use the correct names," Yukio gave her an encouraging smile. Shiemi blushed in embarrassment, staring down at her shoes.

"Suguro-kun, excellent work!" A bright 98 was written at the top of his paper. The thug-looking boy flashed a smug glare at Rin, making him blink in confusion.

"Okumura-kun…" Yukio hesitated, staring at the paper as if he still couldn't believe it. "A perfect score. Congratulations." A proud smile appeared on Yukio's face as he ruffled his hair in a moment of unprofessionalism.

"No way!" Suguro immediately exclaimed, grabbing the paper. "That's impossible!"

"Wow, that's amazing, Rin!" Shiemi smiled at him, making Rin swell slightly in pride.

'Truthfully, that's the first time I've ever gotten a perfect grade on anything...I'll have to thank Amai-nii later.'

Suguro scowled, shoving the paper back at him after examining it for any signs of cheating.

"How the hell did you manage that? You never pay attention in class!"

Rin shrugged. "I guess this kind of subjects just comes to me easy."

In all honesty, it was because Amaimon, the King of Earth, would never let his favorite brother go without memorizing all of his realm.

Rin wasn't looking forward to the smug grin he would have once he told him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the late update, hopefully i'll get chapters out faster now!


	11. Hiding

A few days later found Rin hesitantly opening the door to Mephisto's office. He stepped into the room, glancing around for his older brother. He huffed a little at the fact that the person who summoned him to his office wasn't even there.

"Rin," a monotone voice suddenly spoke up. Rin lit up like Christmas lights during the winter. He turned, seeing the spiky-haired demon standing next to the closed door.

"Amai-nii!" Rin immediately bolted towards Amaimon, stopping a few inches away and grinning up at the demon. "I've missed you!"

Amaimon blinked, a small smile working its way onto his face. "I've missed you too, Rin," he said, patting his younger brother on the head. "How have you been? Brother tells me you've joined an exorcist class." He crinkled his nose in disgust.

The half-demon laughed. "It's not that bad once you get used to it. I got a perfect score on my last test! It was on different plants, so it was really thanks to you."

The Earth King was a little smug to hear this information. "Is that so? I'm glad."

"Ah, but there is one guy who's been annoying me lately." Rin didn't notice Amaimon's eyes narrow. "He gets irritated with me all the time because I sleep in class. It's not my fault I already know the subjects! They're so boring!"

"It's only to be expected," Amaimon said agreeably. "You are superior to them, being a half-demon."

Rin didn't notice the off tone in Amaimon's voice. "Well, if it hadn't been for you, I probably would've been failing all of my classes by now."

Amaimon felt a slight warmth in his chest at the affection Rin was displaying. The boy continued, "Anyway, enough about me! Amai-nii, how have you been doing? Have you done anything new recently?"

The demon was aware that Rin was avoiding the topic of Fujimoto's hospitalization, but he played along to Rin's question, telling him about the latest news in Hell and other topics he thought Rin would enjoy.

It was best to enjoy this peace for a little while longer, after all.

/

"Haha, you're a bit slow there, aren't you?" Rin jeered, turning his head to smirk at Bon, who was a good five feet away from him. He gritted his teeth and increased his pace, watching in disbelief as Rin too sped up.

"I've never seen someone keep up with Bon like that before," Shima said in amazement, watching the two as they sprinted around the arena, the frog-like demon right on their heels.

"As fast as they both are, I still think they're idiots," Izumo sniffed, turning her head away at the immature display of power.

"Arghhh! I can't take it anymore!" Bon yelled, dashing forward with a burst of speed. He slammed his foot into Rin's back, causing them both to tumble to the ground.

"Hey!" shouted the instructor, pulling a lever and jerking back the frog demon before it could attack the two students. "What do you think you're doing? I told you before, this isn't a race! This is to help you learn demons' movements! Are you even listening to me?!" He put his hands on his hips as the two glared at each other.

The teacher rubbed his forehead. "Suguro-kun, can I speak to you for a moment?"

"Geez, what's his problem?" Rin muttered as the other teen was taken away.

"Don't worry about him," Shima said easily. "Bon's just easily riled up. He takes things really seriously, so when he sees you do things easily without any effort, it makes him angry. He joined this school because of this crazy ambition, you see." Shima leaned in with a grin. "He wants to defeat Satan."

Rin stared dumbly at the pink-haired teen. "You're kidding, right?" Even he knew the possibility of defeating Satan was slim, and he was his son!

Shima laughed. "Crazy, isn't it? Well, it's all really because of the Blue Night."

"Blue Night?" Hadn't Rin heard of that from Amaimon a while back ago? "Wasn't that when Satan burned down a lot of temples?"

"Yup! Our temple was one of them. Bon's been dead set on revenge ever since."

"He really just wants to restore his temple," Konekomaru interjected. "It was ruined before he was even able to walk."

"Ah, looks like they're back," Shima said cheerfully as the teacher and Bon rejoined the class.

"Let's get back to work!" the teacher called out, clapping his hands together. Before he could give out further instructions, however, his phone began ringing. "Honey, what is it? Right now? My, my, what would you do without me, Kitten?" He sighed dreamily. "I'll be right there, my little kitty cat!" He ended the call and turned back to his gaping class.

"Alright, I've got important business to attend to, so listen up! Until I get back, no one is to approach the demon! This type of demon is usually very docile, but they are able to read minds and emotions, causing them to attack. If that's clear, I'll be on my way!" He turned and ran to the exit with a flamboyant wave. "I'll be right there, Kitten~!"

Rin felt like hurling after that display.

"The hell was that? He calls himself a teacher?!" Bon snarled. "I thought Cross Academy was supposed to be a place sacred of learning and students who took their studies seriously…!" He glared at Rin.

"You sure are running your mouth today, aren't you?" Rin grinned casually. "If I didn't take my studies seriously, I wouldn't be ahead of you, now would I?"

Bon turned red. "Prove it then!" He pointed at the demon in the arena. "If you can touch that guy without getting hurt, then I'll accept you as an exorcist! Something like a Leaper shouldn't be any problem for you, right?"

"Sounds interesting," Rin grinned. "I'm in!"

"Is that what you thought I'd say?" He scratched his nose with a bored expression.

"What?" Bon gaped at him.

"Well, I just don't see the point in it. I don't have an obligation to prove anything to you, and I'm not getting graded on doing a stupid stunt like that either. I've got more important ambitions in my life than a little Leaper."

"…Ambitions?" He turned a glared accusingly at Shima and Konekomaru. "You told him, didn't you?!" Shima whistled innocently and Konekomaru could only smile sheepishly.

He scowled. "You're just scared, aren't you?! Well, I'm gonna do it!" Protests rang out and Bon slide down the dirt hill and approached the demon, rage in his eyes. Rin could only blink at the sudden decision.

Bon stood straight in front of the Leaper, staring at it with a mixture of emotions. "I'm going to defeat Satan!" he shouted at it with resolve.

"Pfft, defeat Satan? Ahaha, is he a little kid?" Izumo's mocking words caused Bon to clench his fists, emotions wavering into rage.

The Leaper immediately sensed the unease, and moved to attack, its mouth gaping and its body jumping forward to swallow the teenager. Bon's eyes widened in shock, frozen in his spot. His arm lifted up and he closed his eyes, expecting the demon to engulf him.

It never happened.

Rin stood in front of him, the mouth of the demon around his body. His eyes flashed as he glared at the demon trapping his body. "What are you doing? Let go of me."

Bon stared in disbelief as the demon immediately let go of the other, trembling as it tried to hide from Rin's glare. Luckily for it, the glare was soon redirected to Bon.

"What were you thinking? Are you some kind of idiot? You're never going to be able to defeat Satan with that kind of attitude!"

Bon's cheeks pinked. "W-why you! You're the idiot here, you coulda been killed!" The two continued to argue, yelling insults at each for the rest of class.

"...Yes, everything went fine," Yukio reported into his phone as he swiftly departed from the area. "Rin was surprising mature about the entire situation." The younger twin spared one last glance to his shouting brother before he entered the building.

/

"Father says he accepts your proposal."

Mephisto grinned. "Excellent. If everything works out, we'll both have what we want, won't we? It's better off this way."

"…I suppose you're right, Brother." Dark eyes continued to stare, and Mephisto lifted his head.

"Is that all?" he asked simply, grinning lightly.

"…Yes." Amaimon glanced down at his Behemoth before stepping down from the metal bars and disappearing from sight.

Mephisto didn't bother watching him go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the late update, ive got a couple problems with motivation and confidence going on. this chapter is mostly filler & probs has mistakes (that i will go back and edit), but it's got a couple hints in it for future development. i wonder what mephisto and amai are up to? =)


	12. Summoning

Rin woke up to something nudging against him insistently. "Go 'way," he mumbled, weakly pushing it away as he turned over and pulled his blanket over his head. Unfortunately, this did nothing to hinder the poking and prodding, but Rin was a master in the art of sleeping. If he could sleep through Yukio screeching in his ear every morning, he could stay comatose through a few bumps.

All of these plans were ruined, however, when his entire blanket was violently tugged out from underneath him, causing him to land on the cold floor in an undignified heap of sleepiness.

"Why," Rin whined pathetically. "Why me?"

His offender growled, and Rin finally opened his eyes to see Behemoth vibrating excitedly next to his head. "Behemoth?" Rin's eyebrows knitted in confusion. "What are you doing here?" Behemoth hopped back and forth, bumping his nose gently against Rin's forehead. Rin laughed, attempting to untangle himself from the blanket, and he reached out a hand to place on the pet demon's head.

"He wants to play," a voice murmured next to his ear. Rin shrieked and jerked his head straight into the hard wood of the ground. He whimpered. Amaimon stared.

"Don't do that ever again," Rin pleaded, sitting up and cradling his head. The blanket fell into his lap as he glared childishly at his older brother.

"Okay," Amaimon said agreeably.

Rin was distracted from his scolding when Behemoth crawled into his lap. He smiled, holding out his hand so the creature could nuzzle into it affectionately.

"Jeez, I'm surprised Yukio hasn't woken up yet from all of this noise," Rin commented, snorting. Then he began to register what he said.

"What are you doing here?!" he cried, standing up abruptly and ignoring the yelp from Behemoth as it tumbled to the ground along with the blanket. "If Yukio catches you, he'll try to kill you!"

Amaimon blinked. "The human brother left while you were still asleep," he said.

Rin relaxed. "Oh, I see." Then he looked at the clock. "I'M AN HOUR LATE FOR CLASS," he wailed, pulling open the closet desperately and tossing every article of clothing to the floor in panic. Amaimon and Behemoth watched in fascination.

"Humans have very odd rituals," Amaimon mumbled, hugging Behemoth to his chest as Rin frantically shoved a shirt over his head and tripped over his jeans.

Rin hurriedly grabbed his bag, practically teleporting to the door. "See you later Amai-nii!" he yelled, slamming the door close behind him.

Amaimon stared at the door for a few more moments, biting his nail almost nervously. He glanced down at his Behemoth. "Rin will get mad at me if he finds out," he told it. Behemoth did not respond, only squirming out of his arms in its desire to explore. Sighing, he released the Behemoth, allowing it to bounce around the room.

Standing, Amaimon eyed Rin's bed. He focused on the pillow, finding what he had come for in the first place. Small strands of dark hair stuck to the fabric, and, after guiltily checking the door again, he collected the hair carefully.

His hand stilled for a moment as it brushed against a familiar stuffed bear. After a moment of hesitation, he pocketed the strands of hair, turning away from the watchful eyes of the inanimate toy.

"Come, Behemoth," he called, stepping up onto the window's ledge. His Behemoth bounded happily into his arms, and he jumped down to the ground after a fleeting glance at the smiling bear.

.f.a.t.e.

"I can't believe I got detention," Rin grumbled as Shiemi smiled sympathetically.

"Don't be sad, Rin!" Shiemi attempted to cheer him up. "Summer holidays are coming up soon, so let's have lots of fun, okay?"

Rin brightened. "Yeah! I almost forgot about that!" He grinned happily at Shiemi, and a faint red crept up to her cheeks.

"All right, class," Yukio clapped his hands together to catch the students' attention. "I have an announcement to make. Since the exwire exam is coming up soon, I'll be holding a one-week training camp for the examinations next week. If you're interested in participating, please fill out this form with your intended Meister."

Rin stared down at the form, confused. "Meister? What's that?" he asked obliviously. Shiemi perked up.

"Oh! It's the type of exorcist you want to be," she said enthusiastically. "There's Tamer, Knight, Doctor..." she trailed off. An embarrassed flush spread across her face. "I don't remember the rest, though."

"You want to become an exorcist, and you don't even know this?" Suguro exclaimed irritably. "Get real!"

"Isn't it funny that Okumura-kun knows so much about some aspects of being an exorcist, but he hasn't even heard about the basics?" Shima teased jokingly.

"Shut up!" Rin retorted smartly. Shima snickered.

"There are five categories of Meister. Moriyama-san already listed three of them, and the other two are Aria and Dragoon," Konekomaru explained. "Shima-san and I want to become Arias, while Bon is aiming for Aria and Dragoon."

Rin was impressed. "Seriously? As expected of Bon!"

"Okumura-sensei has a Meister in Dragoon and Doctor," Konekomaru added.

A spark of pride and something a bit sadder swelled in Rin's chest as he watched Yukio gather his papers and leave for the next class. "He's really something, huh?" Rin pushed the feeling away and scanned the list determinedly. "Then, I'm gonna become a Knight!" he proclaimed triumphantly.

The class settled down when the next teacher entered the room. "Today, I'm going to be summoning my familiar," he said, drawing a large circle on the ground. "Some of you will be able to achieve this, and some of you will not. Your blood and a certain amount of appeal are necessary for a proper summoning, but be careful not to mess up the writing or the summoning will be broken."

He dusted off his pants and waved the class back. The teacher cleared his throat and began to chant, "Son of Typhoeus and Echidna, answer my request and come out!"

Several students covered their noses as a rank stench filled the room. The gruesome creature limped toward the teacher obediently. He turned back to the students, saying, "There is an incredibly small amount of humans who are able to summon a demon. Not only do you need spiritual fortitude; natural talent is also essential to taming demons."

"That's a Naberius!" Suguro hissed under his breath. "It's my first time seeing one." Rin examined the deformed demon with a level of disgust. He had fought a plethora of demons in the past, but this one was probably at the top of his 'Ugliest Demons' list.

"I will now be testing you to see if you have this talent." The teacher passed out small squares of paper with less advanced versions of the summoning circle on the ground. "Drip your blood onto the paper and say anything that comes to mind."

Rin wasn't very surprised when Izumo managed to summon two Byakkus, but he was a little shocked when Shiemi managed to call out a Greenman spirit.

"K-Kamiki-san!" Shiemi was brimming with joy. "Look, I summoned a familiar as well!"

Izumo scowled before plastering on a fake smile. "Wow, it's so small and cute - like a speck of dust."

Rin frowned, uneasy at the sarcastic tone, but Shiemi's eyes brightened, and a cheerful agreement passed her lips. He decided to leave it for now, but he'd keep an eye out if Izumo's passive-aggressive attitude continued to get worse. It seemed like Paku, Izumo's friend, also disapproved of the rude remarks.

"Dammit, I've got no talent," Suguro and Shima muttered simultaneously. Shima laughed good-naturedly, sucking on his bleeding finger while Suguro grunted moodily.

"Me neither," Konekomaru sighed, staring at the slip of paper hopelessly. Shima patted his back in condolence.

Rin eyed his own paper cautiously. He was about to shrug and throw it away (it wasn't like he wanted to become a Tamer in the first place) when Shiemi noticed him and brightly called out, "You should try, too, Rin!"

With her bubbly personality and wide eyes, it was difficult for Rin to refuse. Hesitantly, he pricked his finger and smeared the red liquid across the flimsy sheet. "Uh...come on out?" Izumo rolled her eyes, and Shima cracked up laughing behind him. Rin scowled, blushing a little. "We can play games or something," he tacked on, feeling stupid.

Shima howled in laughter. "Yes, let's play hide and seek with a demon!"

"Shaddup!" Rin stuck out his tongue. "This is dumb anyway!"

Suguro was clearly about to make a snarky comment when Rin's magic circle began swirling up into the air. A breeze of freshly cut grass permeated the room, and suddenly a large round body was knocking him down.

"A hobgoblin," the teacher announced, a peculiar look on his face. "Not as common as regular goblins, but still rather average when it comes to strength." Rin wheezed as the extremely familiar hobgoblin hopped on his stomach. He had a feeling that he hadn't managed to summon this particular demon with his own abilities.

Behemoth made a strange purring noise as it bumped into his chin. Rin sighed and scratched its head, causing the rumbling to get louder.

"It is oddly affectionate for a goblin," the teacher noted as Rin sat up, cradling the creature in his arms.

"Well, I am an affectionate person," Rin said dryly.

Suguro snorted. "You're as affectionate as I am stupid."

"So you're finally admitting you're stupid?" Rin grinned, inwardly cackling at the scandalized expression on Suguro's face.

"Of course not!" Suguro said heatedly. Their bickering continued until they were right in each other's faces.

"At least I don't look like a rooster!" Rin smirked, intentionally looking up at Suguro's dyed hair.

"Why you--!" The teenager grabbed Rin's shirt, about to shake him back and forth when Behemoth growled loudly. Suguro froze, and Rin looked down at the earth demon in surprise. When Suguro didn't immediately let go of Rin, Behemoth snapped its teeth together audibly, and Suguro's hands dropped him. Behemoth settled back down, sitting on Rin's feet without taking its eyes off of Suguro.

"It looks like we have a handful of Tamer prospects this year," the teacher interrupted the tense atmosphere. "Remember, a familiar won't follow someone that is weaker than itself, so don't lose confidence in yourself unless you want it to turn on you. And with that note, class is dismissed. Good work today."

Rin reached down and collected Behemoth into his arms, trudging his way back to the dorm. Yukio had already told him he was going to be home late today, but he figured someone else would still be there to welcome him back. By the time he arrived, Amaimon was already waiting in his room.

"Welcome home," Amaimon said blandly, spinning in Yukio's chair.

"Stop that," Rin said absentmindedly, holding the chair so Amaimon couldn't spin. He dropped the hobgoblin lightly into Amaimon's lap. "Want to explain this?" he asked expectantly.

Amaimon's blank expression did not change. "It's my Behemoth," he offered.

"Yes," Rin agreed pleasantly. "So why was I able to summon _your_ familiar during class today?"

Amaimon shifted uncomfortably. "I told it to answer your call," he explained like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Why?" Rin asked exasperatedly.

"Because Rin attracts trouble," Amaimon said, stubbornly crossing his arms. "Behemoth will protect you from anything that tries to hurt you."

Something warm and pleasant bubbled up in his chest. "I'm at school all the time, nothing is going to hurt me," he said, pretending not to be pleased with the sincere intentions. "Besides, I'm already in high school, and I can fight pretty well, I don't need anyone to protect me!"

Amaimon looked doubtful. Rin sighed. "...But if it means that much to you, I guess I'll let him stick around for now." Amaimon immediately perked up, a satisfied smile forming on his lips.

The sound of a door closing echoed throughout the dorm. "Nii-san? Who are talking to?" Yukio's voice called out, muffled through the door. Rin and Amaimon both froze.

"No one!" Rin answered, hastily shoving Amaimon out the window. By the time Yukio opened their bedroom door, the King of Earth was already gone, leaving behind swaying curtains and an open window.

"I got some bread-" Yukio stopped abruptly. Rin swallowed anxiously. Yukio squinted at Rin's bed.

"...Is that a hobgoblin?"

Rin laughed nervously, barely concealing his relief at the getaway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol i'm back? maybe? sorry for the EXTREMELY long wait, hopefully the new (and slightly longer) chapter will make it up. at some point i need to rewrite this story and clean it up bc now that i'm rereading it, the flow is kinda weird and awkward sounding lol.   
> also!! i'll probably be starting up a new ane fic either today or tomorrow!! yay!! please look out for it  
> CONGRATS ON SEASON TWO!!!!!!!!!!!!


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